


Death

by abetternameneeded



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-05
Updated: 2020-07-05
Packaged: 2021-03-04 17:56:12
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 956
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25090492
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/abetternameneeded/pseuds/abetternameneeded
Summary: Alice dies, Killian's heart remains poisoned.
Kudos: 2





	Death

"Be careful." Killian knew Robin had told her to be careful. She hadn't been. It had just been another one of her adventures she'd been so proud of. She would have told him everything in a letter. He knew that she made the same claim she always made, the joking promise that she was always careful. And maybe she wasn't but she was always okay. But this time something had gone wrong. Something no one had imagined. And so Killian Jones sat staring at the small rook in his hand. His heart experiencing a new kind of pain. He hadn't seen her in years. Hadn't heard her voice. Hadn't seen her eyes mirroring his or heard her racing through every question she had about the world. He had relied on other people to keep her safe. Relied on what he'd taught her. He rolled the rook around in his hands, it'd saved his life. Maybe if he'd kept his promise it would have saved hers too. He had the white knight. She'd given it back years before but it wasn't what he'd meant. He wanted the pieces back together but not like this. It had meant so much to her.

"Hey," Robin walked in , still somber. She'd been close to Alice too. He couldn't bring himself to say anything to her. What could he say? Had he only found a cure sooner he would have been there. She wouldn't have been alone. She wouldn't have died. "I'm sorry."

Robin apologized for Killian's loss, both of their losses really.

There was nothing much to say. He felt heavy. He'd never see her again. He could hear her screams from when she was a child. He couldn't fix it. He'd told her he'd fix it. And now he never could. All she'd wanted was to be with him and he'd failed her.

"I failed her," Killian told her.

"No. She wouldn't want you blaming yourself. You meant everything to her."

Killian shook his head and held up the rook. "This saved my life, if only I could have done the same for her."

"It's not your fault, you know."

Killian didn't agree. "Your heart? Can you go to the funeral?"

Killian sighed. "I don't know. I'll try." He had no idea if the poison was still active or not. Or if the curse survived even death.

It took days to get everything in order. He made sure to have both chess pieces as he went to the funeral. It was outside. Alice would never have wanted it in a stuffy building. She'd finally been so free. And he'd only seen her outside a few times. He'd only spoken to her once since she'd gotten out of her prison.

He got close to where the funeral was supposed to be and was assualted by all too familar pain. The poison in his heart trying to prevent him from getting close to Alice's lifeless body. He grunted in pain. But he hadn't seen her in so long. And he'd been her entire world. He couldn't miss her funeral. And he didn't want to live without her knowing she wasn't okay.

He took steps closer to her casket. Wishing she would just wake up. Hoping that this was another adventure for her but it wasn't. Every step hurt. His heart growing weaker as he approached. He keeled over in ubearable pain.

"Killian!" Robin grabbed his shoulder and pulled him back te pain slowly fading. "You need to stop. Alice wouldn't want this."

"I need to."

"No. She hated seeing you in pain. SHe died looking for a way to stop it. Don't do this."

Robin was right. Killian left the area and she followed him. He had been crying on and off for days. "I know," her face was marked with remnants of tears as well. "I know."

He missed the rest of the funeral as he waited out the pain in his heart.

The next while passed in a daze. He and Robin went to Alice's cottage to go through her things. Everything reminded them both of her. Toys and trinkets from her adentures were scattered about the room.

Robin picked up Alice'd favorite toy. "Know what we should do?"

Killian tried to quirk his eyebrow at her but it didn't feel right any more. Nothng felt right. "We should take a trip. All the places Alice wanted to see with you, we go. And we take Mr. Rabbit. Alice will know. She'll be watching from Underbrooke. She'll know. And then she'll see everywhere she wanted to see."

Killian agreed.

They went on the trip. He spent most of it sending out apologies into the world, begging for Alice to hear him and somehow come back. He'd never found the cure for his heart but he would go through the pain again and again for her. Animals approached him and Robin. Especially small rabbits, one of Alice's favorites.

They made it to the ocean that Alice had always longed to go. Killian remebered Alice talking to Mr. Rabbit and decided it wouldn't hurt to try. "Here we are, Starfish. I know you wanted to see it for yourself but I've got Robin and Mr. Rabbit here. Really hope you can see it from where you are."

Robin comforted him. They went back to the NEFy and Killian didn't move on. He still went to the grave, hating that his body kept cheating death. He was bloody 200 years old. He kept going back and talking to the grave despite it inflicting agonizing pain.. Eventually his heart gave out and he died next to her grave. His final resting place was right next to hers. Father and daughter reunited at last.


End file.
